George Lopez packs a punch

Says Latinos 'don't get enough love' as comics

Updated 12:23 pm, Thursday, March 28, 2013

George Lopez draws from his current material, including his HBO special, when he appears Friday and Saturday at the Majestic Theatre. A few tickets may be available by showtime.

George Lopez draws from his current material, including his HBO special, when he appears Friday and Saturday at the Majestic Theatre. A few tickets may be available by showtime.

Photo: Larry Marano / Getty Images

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George Lopez will perform three shows at the Majestic Theatre on Thursday, March 28, through Saturday, March 30.

George Lopez will perform three shows at the Majestic Theatre on Thursday, March 28, through Saturday, March 30.

Photo: Getty Images

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This July 20, 2012 file photo shows George Lopez at the Motley Crue and Kiss 2012 Mega Tour news conference in Los Angeles. Following an election when Latinos showed their growing political influence, a coalition of groups is coordinating a gathering of top Latino entertainers at the Kennedy Center in a series of events ahead of President Barack Obama’s inauguration. (AP Photo/Katy Winn, File)

This July 20, 2012 file photo shows George Lopez at the Motley Crue and Kiss 2012 Mega Tour news conference in Los Angeles. Following an election when Latinos showed their growing political influence, a

George Lopez performs as part of the Divine Rascal Tour at Sleep Train Pavilion on September 25, 2011 in Concord, California.

George Lopez performs as part of the Divine Rascal Tour at Sleep Train Pavilion on September 25, 2011 in Concord, California.

Photo: Tim Mosenfelder, Getty Images

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Comedian George Lopez is launching a new talk show on TBS

Comedian George Lopez is launching a new talk show on TBS

Photo: Courtesy

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FOR SPORTS - Actor comedian George Lopez does the robot during a timeout at the Spurs Lakers game Sunday March 6, 2011 at the AT&T Center. The Lakers won 99-83. (PHOTO BY EDWARD A. ORNELAS/eaornelas@express-news.net)

George Lopez uses boxing metaphors to describe his current tour and explain why he's returned to live stand-up gigs.

“I still enjoy doing a live show. It is that element of being unpredictable but still going out there swinging,” Lopez told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.

“I believe that being on stage for a show keeps it more compelling and more exciting.”

Or maybe Lopez needs a break from his favorite pastime of playing golf and smoking cigars? It's certainly a chance to be much edgier than the handful of Latino-themed awards shows where he's ubiquitous, hanging with President Barack Obama or those voice-over animation gigs.

Lopez continues his three-night stand at Majestic Theatre on Friday and Saturday. He'll draw from his HBO special, “It's Not Me, It's You” and the new CD, “I'm Not Gonna Lie.”

Onstage, the rubber-faced comedian is hilarious and biting. There are political undertones and in-your-face overtones, too. When pressed, he's combative about the state of Latino comedy.

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“I think it's easier for African American and white comics to be praised than it is Latinos because they think our culture or our humor is substandard, but I think that it is just because they don't want to give us the credit we deserve,” Lopez said in the same interview.

“The success I have had did not come easy. So to have something that has your name on it like my show and it makes it big, it has a history tied to people like Desi Arnaz and Freddie Prinze, people who I always looked up to. It's unbelievable to me because I never really thought anything good would ever happen to me.”

Like Arnaz and Prinze, Lopez has always basically played himself.

“I've been the family-sitcom guy and the talk-show guy, but inside of me is still the comedian. And to be effective, you have to be edgy,” Lopez added.